The Loss and Gain of Time
by Lanelle
Summary: For the last ten years strangers have learned and moved through Middle earth though not seen for what they are.  As the confrontation with Mordor draws near they must make a choice.


**Disclaimor: I do not own Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings.**

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><p>It wasn't really a road. In years past it wasn't even a path. Many thousands of years ago a traveler became lost in these woods and was the first to walk similar spots threw the forest. Many of the traveler's odd shortcuts were not so odd now. Years of others following though much the same places wore down fallen trees to dust, wore away the loose soil and exposed the rock that now was the wide path's footing.<p>

All that hinted at the paths origin was it's odd winding and almost unpredictable nature. It flowed much like a river down the mountain. It gave birth to many side paths, much of which were abandoned for reasons such as being interrupted by a cliff or a stubborn ancient tree. Only a few of them actually went anywhere useful. No one with the intent to create a path would make it in such a way but many paths were not made on purpose but through the act of travelers following other travelers.

Through the many years the path took part in countless encounters of strangers, blood thirsty battles and other stories of old, many of which ranged from the remarkable to the mundane.

If the path could talk, none of it's past would be so mysterious as the two travelers that now followed it.

"_I still think that old merchant robbed us. Twenty gold pieces for four barrels of apples?" says a male voice in a unfamiliar language. The voice was coming from the taller of two cloaked figures riding an old used ox cart._

"_...it wasn't such bad a price,_"Says a distinctive female voice from under the other cloak.

"_I wish you would have waited for me... there was a woman on the other side of the market charging only three gold per barrel." The man says turning to his companion._

"_It was for a good cause, Harry. I have enough in my savings to make up the difference._" Says the smaller cloaked figure in a resigned voice. If anyone would have been watching the two they would have met the sight of a strain of bright red hair slipping out of the woman's hood. No one but dwarfs were born with such hair but the woman was clearly too tall to be one.

"_.a good cause.. make up the?..._" says the male voice in sudden comprehension.

"_I didn't tell you before_" says the woman in a slightly sheepish voice. "_but I overheard a bit of gossip from a group of housewives in the market. It seems that half the old man's crop became flooded during the summer and all his family has left is apples that were growing on higher ground. His grown son and wife take care of growing the crops while he sells them in the market. He had to increase his prices in the hopes of making up the difference."_

Harry sighs heavily and nods, "_I wish you had told me earlier, Ginny."_

"_I'm sorry Harry I should have mentioned it, but I have enough to make up for it in my spare..._" She takes out a small little bag from her pocket but is suddenly stopped by the calloused hand of her companion.

"_I wish you had told me earlier... we could have found out where he lived and given his crops some... _help._" Looking under Harry's hood she spots his bright green eyes glow with a inner mirth and beams at him. "_We'll both make up the difference._" He says gruffly releasing her hand from her small and near empty purse._

"_He had a bag of seeds he bought this morning next to him...I looked at them when he had his back turned. I"m positive that they'll just __spring__ right out of the ground as soon as he plants them." _She says with a hint of amusement. "..._and thank you Harry."_

Harry grunts slightly in acknowledgment, "_Well did you hear anything useful..."_He pauses a moment in thought, "_Now that I think about it I wish there was a good newspaper about. Getting our _news__ from gossip of all things... how I miss real civilization sometimes."__

Ginny nods and then smirks slightly as she gives his profile a teasing look, "_Suddenly developed a fondness for beetles have you?... I have to admit Rita Skeeter was always a snappy dresser... well except for those horrid glasses."_

Half snorting and half sputtering he turns to his companion, "_That woman was no different then the worst of those gossips you listen to. Though if you think about it, the gossips are far more accurate."_

The red head smiles in agreement and looks behind the cart in sudden thought. "..._I think we're far enough down the road now."_

"_Yeah no one in sight... let's do it."_ Wrapping the reins around a small post Harry climbs down from the ox cart's seat and lifts a hand and assists his companion down onto the dusty path.

Without a word she turns and takes out a course looking rucksack from under the bench seat. Ginny opens it and turns to Harry and nods.

Harry waves his arm at the barrels and bundles of foodstuff. Barrels of apples, mead, bags of barley, wheat and random odd bits of herbs among other things rise as if they became light as soap bubbles suddenly finding themselves drifting in the breeze.

Not stopping he waves his hand in the direction of the rucksack and all the food stuff race each other and somehow squeeze themselves into the top of the bag, which if you asked anyone of common sense they would tell you would be utterly impossible. This time if anyone looked away from the sight they would have seen the tip of a very old piece of wood peeking out of the end of the arm of Harry's long dark cloak.

Another wave of the arm and the cart shifts downward becoming smaller and smaller till finally a small toy made of roughly carved twigs stood in it's place. A final wave and the two oxen shift in a similar fashion and become a pair of average but hardy mules complete with harnesses turned saddles.

Picking up the toy ox cart and placing it into the sack, Ginny quickly ties the top and hands it over to Harry whom swings it up onto his back as if it weighed practically nothing.

"_Hermoine should find those plants useful... anyways news. Basically it's the same as the last time, _orcs_ are roaming closer and closer to human settlements." _she says mournfully.

"_How many?"_ Harry asks simply as they both climb and settle themselves onto the faux mules.

"_Three families, one of them had six children._" She says quietly clearly thinking of her own family.

"_Well we can only do so much. Lets get Hermoine her regents.. with any luck she'll have some good news._" He says grimly with a hint of hope.

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><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>: I know alot of people dislike the whole Ginny/Harry part of the regular books. I completely agree with you. I know exactly what was so wrong about it. Ginny didn't have enough character development. One day Harry wouldn't piss on her if she was on fire and the next he's getting jealous of her with other boys. The only time Ginny ever showed herself even close to being worthy of Harry through out the entire books was during Dumbledore's funeral where she accepted his decision to fulfill Dumbledore's orders and where she turned away during the epilogue to give her son and Harry a moment to talk alone. That's it... so you'll have to forgive me if she seems alittle out of character during the story. She after all was a outright child till the end of the 6th book. I don't think I'm going to make her a main character though but it's still up in the air.

Anyways I'm not taking this story seriously. I'm just messing around for the sake of messing around, so don't expect updates.


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